Technology Leaders Express Concern Over Online Dating Bill in Florida

(onlinedatingmagazine.com - April 27, 2005) America's leading Internet and technology firms and trade associations today expressed deep reservations over a proposed Florida bill that would impose government oversight on online dating, and would require criminal background checks or disclosures for users of online dating services. In a letter to the Florida legislature, the group noted that the bill's overly broad and vague language would impose new liabilities and responsibilities upon not only Internet dating sites, but on an almost limitless array of Internet sites and services having nothing to do with dating. Even more importantly, the group continued, the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Ambler (R-Tampa) and Sen. Victor Crist (R-Tampa), has the potential to create a false sense of security for users of such services as background check methodology is usually incomplete, incorrect and easily circumvented.

"As some the country's most popular Internet and technology companies, we are incredibly committed to keeping our users safe, and that extends to online dating services," said Markham Erickson, a spokesman for the NetCoalition, whose members participated in the letter. "But if only 15 of 67 Florida counties provide felony information, and recent news reports indicate that national criminal databases similar to the one required by this legislation can have a roughly 40 percent error rate, all this bill will do is mislead and misinform Florida consumers."

Although there have been very few, if any, instances of online dating- related crimes in Florida, the legislation would require background checks or, in the alternative, disclosures that the services do not screen customers, for a broad array of Internet companies including email providers, search engines, chat rooms, community bulletin boards, and job sites. It does not provide adequate exceptions for Internet service providers, hosting companies, and other Internet companies providing purely access functions for their users.

"Unfortunately, this bill would throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater," continued Erickson. "By imposing government regulation on a wide swath of Internet companies, you end up hurting the Internet instead of the criminals."

Interestingly, the bill does nothing to address similar concerns with offline dating companies, where customers are just as likely to be concerned with the backgrounds of potential suitors. Not only are there far more offline dating services than their online counterparts; arguably, online dating services are safer than off-line companies because members can interact with each other on their computers in their own homes without having to physically interact with other members until they feel it is safe to do so.

Even if these problems could be remedied, the group concluded in the letter, the companies continue to believe that the marketplace is best positioned to address the issues identified by the sponsors of the legislation. Already, at least one Internet dating site advertises that all of its members are screened through a criminal database. Other dating sites promote different tools that are advertised as protecting the privacy and identity of users until certain precautions are met.

"Consumers are in the best position to determine which services provide them with the most security and comfort," concluded Erickson, "not the government."

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